Thursday

Aug 2, 2018 at 2:31 PMAug 2, 2018 at 2:31 PM

GAINESVILLE -- Whatever expectations new University of Florida football coach Dan Mullen had about fielding football questions on the eve of the first preseason practice on Thursday instead turned into a forum on guns, gamblers, domestic abuse and the troubles 900 miles to the north involving his former boss, former UF coach and possibly soon to be ex-Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer.

Despite veering off into subjects no coach wants to discuss entering the preseason, Mullen patiently answered every question. His 45-minutes news conference at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium was broken down into 13 football questions and 17 unrelated to the Gators' 2018 fortunes.

The non-football questions included six about Meyer, who was placed on administrative leave on Wednesday by Ohio State in the wake of accusations he knew about an assistant coach's spousal abuse issues after claiming otherwise; and 11 about a controversial summer in which the names of 10 Gator players found their way onto police reports.

Only one of those players, incoming freshman Justin Watkins, was actually arrested for anything, and he quit the team last week before a likely sacking by Mullen because of four felony charges involving an assault on his girlfriend. The others have been involved in a dispute with a known gambler, Devonte Zachery, and his friends that nearly turned ugly on May 28 with a confrontation outside a UF dorm.

Zachery has since claimed he gave UF players discounts on rental cars where he worked. Later in the summer, sophomore Kadarius Toney was stopped while driving a car with an AR-15 assault rifle on the back seat, but was not cited since the gun was not illegally owned or concealed.

Mullen said he's aware of the issues and said suspensions may involve players sitting in the opening game of the season on Sept. 1 at home against Charleston Southern.

"We'll let you know if there will be suspensions," Mullen said. "Usually we'll do it on game day. I mean, not like two minutes before kickoff, but that morning we kind of let everybody know, hey, these are guys that are going to be suspended for any number of things."

Mullen said the school has investigated his players' dealings with Zachery and said NCAA compliance director Jamie McCloskey is aware of the rental car issue.

"Those things happen probably more often maybe than people even think they happen," Mullen said. "As soon as we hear about something, we go through the channels, we report it, and our compliance office immediately begins to look into situations to see what happened."

Mullen said he's talked to his players about the responsibility of being in a nationally-known football program.

"Being a football player here at the University of Florida, you're a high-profile person," he said. "It's kind of a neat deal. There also comes responsibility on the other side that people might be jealous or have something against you, and one of the things that we constantly tell them to do is ... when to walk away. Help each other out. If you see a teammate that you think is not making a good decision or possibly doing something they shouldn't be doing, as a team we stick together and get them on the right path."

Mullen said the issue of gun ownership for his players is a bit complicated. Univerity rules prohibit students from being in possession of firearms on campus, but they can keep them locked in their vehicles.

"We live in a country where that's one of your rights," he said. "What we do is spend a lot of time ... to educate them on weapons, on having guns, and why would you have it, what's the purpose of having it. If you're going to have a gun, make sure you're properly trained in knowing how to use it. Is it a legal gun? Do you have a license? Are you qualified? And are you trained in using it?"

Mullen said he sent a text of support to Meyer on Wednesday night and said his family would be in his prayers.

"He and the family are very close to my family, so our prayers are with them as they go through all of this," he said.

The Gators did receive good news on Thursday when the NCAA cleared transfers Trevon Grimes (Ohio State) and Van Jefferson (Ole Miss) to play this season. Grimes can play immediately and Jefferson needs an SEC waiver, since he came from another conference school.

Mullen expects that to happen soon.

Jefferson caught 91 balls for 999 yards and four touchdowns in two seasons with Ole Miss. Grimes had three receptions for 20 yards in two games for Ohio State last season.

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